
When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. Over 70 years later, the memories of some 2,000 slave-era survivors were transcribed and preserved by the Library of Congress. These first-person anecdotes, ranging from the brutal to the bittersweet, have been brought to vivid life in this unique HBO documentary special, featuring the on-camera voices of over a dozen top African-American actors.

Whoopi Goldberg
Narrator (voice)

Angela Bassett

Michael Boatman

Roscoe Lee Browne

Don Cheadle

Ossie Davis

Ruby Dee

Robert Guillaume

Jasmine Guy

Samuel L. Jackson

CCH Pounder

LaTanya Richardson Jackson

When We Were Kings
When We Were Kings

Money as Debt
Money as Debt

Hambone Griot
Hambone Griot

Richard Wright: Native Son, Author and Activist
Richard Wright: Native Son, Author and Activist

The Price of Protest
The Price of Protest

Midnight Ramble
Midnight Ramble

Frost/Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews
Frost/Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews

Finding the Gold Within
Finding the Gold Within

Breath of Freedom
Breath of Freedom

Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America

Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency
The Black List: Volume Three
The Black List: Volume Three